Szabina Hellinger, Hungarian but from AEGEE-Brescia, is the last candidate to have applied for a spot in the Mediation Commission. The AEGEEan had a talk with her to discover more about her, her motivation and her plans.
The AEGEEan: Please, introduce yourself.
Szabina: I met AEGEE in 2009 through my first Summer University and got immediately the wave of it. I started my carreer as member of AEGEE-Budapest but in 2012 I moved to Italy for a year with my Erasmus where with Roberto Molica (AEGEE-Bologna), we initiated the restablishment the antenna there, meanwhile after the NWM-Padova I became member of AEGEE-Brescia to keep me updated of the Region’s happenings plus I became also member of the ESN-Bologna to build connections and possible cooperation. In 2013 I moved back to Hungary where I started to work where I could practise the mediation skills since I had to find every possible solution according to the fewest informations or neither anything provided. I like to mediate and resolve problems in the same time facing more and more challenges.
Why did you decide to run for Mediation Commission?
In 2012 on the Agora Rhein-Neckar I was a candidate for general Comité Directeur member but I was not elected, after the path my life took made me impossible any further candidature, since I would not be able to move to Brusseles neither in a possible election. After the CD I feel the Mediation Commission the nearest to me. I find it a new challenge and I would like to serve the Network, contribuite it with my experiences.
What do you think it’s the main job of the Medcom?
Through the mediation and provide immediate assist to the whole network, I find important to mention also the data privacy control, a contribution in the privacy policy management.
You won’t be in Cagliari to present your candidature, do you think it will penalize you?
I will not be able to attend due a health issue which makes me unable to take flights, for this reason I did not even apply, I did not want to steal any place of any participants for an event where my attendance is not 100%. I don’t think this would penalize me, because the Agora will have the chance to decide if they find me a competent candidate or not. I have asked a friend to present my candidature who knows me perfectly with strengths and weaknesses enough to answer any possible questions plus I will be constantly available on skype through his tablet where even me will be able to answer any possible doubt.
According to you, what do you think is the most important quality to be in the Medcom and why do you have it?
Objectivity and indipendence, in any possible conflict only these two qualities can help to assist any possible case, focusing onto the members and data rights.
Were you in touch with the current Medcom or the former one?
I highly appreciate the currents commission’s work, I had to contact them once in a questionable incident and they reacted prompty providing immediate advice and official interruption upon my request. Afterwards luckaly it was not needed but they gave me an enormous push to turn my intrest to their work.
In your program you say you want to make the work of Mediation Commission more visible to the network. How is your idea to do so?
The MedCom’s work is not only about the intervention in any possible conflict even though their representation is most visible there. The commission is continuously available for every member for consultation and I would like to make it more acknowledged.
What is your idea of strenghtening the communication and the cooperation within bodies?
According to my experiences in these years on the European level, I saw that the bodies prefer to work immediately and not collaborate(which is my strong desire to change for years now). I would like to encourage the bodies, locals, projects, working groups to cooperate more. I would encourage them to organise more common events, and start future collaborations, because throught these initiatives we can make the network to go further.
Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Venezia